THE NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
December 06th is The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, which is also the anniversary of the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique massacre. This year marks the 30th anniversary of that tragic day. This is a day to honor and remember those who have been the victims of gender-based violence. In Canada, a woman is killed every 2.5 days, with over half killed by a current of former partner. Women, young girls, and LGBTQ2S individuals are at a higher risk to be the victim of violence, which in turn impacts their ability to engage with their life goals and desires, as they are now forced to deal with the very real physical and mental health challenges that come with being the victim of violence.
In Canada violence against women and gender based violence remains an incredibly serious and pervasive problem. Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one physical or sexual violence act by the age of 16. In a 2018 report by Women’s Shelters Canada, it was stated that “When women and girls are killed by violence, it is almost always in the context of their intimate relationship with men and/or the result of men’s sexual violence”. While violence does affect Canadian women regardless of their background and their socioeconomic status, it is important to note that some groups are statistically more at risk including trans women, sex workers, Indigenous women, women of colour, women who struggle with the mental health. The national homicide rate of Indigenous women is at least 7 times higher than those for non-Indigenous women.
It is important for each individual, regardless of gender, to take action against gender based violence in whichever way they can. It can range from learning how to support women experiencing violence to writing a letter to your MP.
This is a great article that outlines how you can support a victim of domestic violence:
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-help-a-victim-of-domestic-violence-66533
Here is a link to send a letter to your MP and your Minister of Municipal Housing and Affairs, as affordable housing remains a high barrier to freedom from violence.
https://canadianwomen.org/16-days-of-activism-letter/
CAMH has a detailed list of resources in the GTA for Survivors of Domestic Violence
https://www.camh.ca/-/media/files/community-resource-sheets/domestic-violence-survivors-pdf.pdf?la=en&hash=03A3FC4B4A8061ED1AAF2E8C86019C588B572F76
